“Fiction Essentials” Class Package
March 11, 2023 10:00 AM - April 22, 2023 1:00 PM CST
$236.00 – $476.00
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$236 for members
$476 for nonmembers
There are craft elements every fiction writer – whether you’re writing novels or short stories – needs to hone in order to write compelling and satisfying narratives.
This class package aims to help all fiction writers learn the foundational skills to bring any story to life. These four classes will take you through the basics of fiction, the importance of plot and conflict, how to develop characters, all the way to writing endings that bring your stories full circle.
If you’re ready to elevate your fiction writing, this class package is for you. In addition, everyone who purchases the package will be invited to an exclusive class package meet-up, a great opportunity to connect with fellow writers as you enjoy this shared experience.
Each class can be purchased individually by clicking on the class title.
Can’t make it to every class? No worries! All registrants will have access to the class recordings for the duration of the package, plus an additional month.
“Foundations of Fiction: 10 Lessons for Elevating Your Writing” with Diane Zinna
Saturday, March 11, 2023, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM CST
What are ten things you can start doing today to make your writing come alive on the page?
In this fast-paced, three-hour class, instructor Dianne Zinna will provide students with short lessons on what writers can start doing today to elevate their fiction writing. The lessons include foundations of fiction you may have missed, tips for captivating openers, ways to navigate the “mushy middle” of any story, and ideas for meaningful endings. This class will feature several exercises as well as a takeaway prompt that can be applied to the book or short story you are ready to write or finish.
Diane Zinna is the author of THE ALL-NIGHT SUN (Random House, 2020) which was longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Cabell First Novelist Award. Her craft book, LETTING GRIEF SPEAK, is forthcoming from Columbia University Press. She received her MFA from the University of Florida and was the longtime membership director for AWP, The Association of Writers & Writing Programs. There, she created the Writer to Writer Mentorship Program, helping to match more than six hundred writers over twelve seasons. She was most recently the Darden Professor of Creative Writing at Old Dominion University, and she is the creator of Grief Writing Sundays, a popular writing class on telling difficult stories that has met every week since the start of the pandemic. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming at Electric Literature, LiteraryHub, Brevity, Monkeybicycle, and Eat, Darling, Eat. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with her husband, daughter, and doodle.
“Plot Generator: Story-Worthy Problems and Situations that Drive Your Fiction” with Chaitali Sen
Saturday, March 18, 2023, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM CDT
When you start out writing a work of fiction, you might have a character, a setting, a first paragraph… but what happens next?
Whether you write plot or character-driven stories, short fiction or novels, readers want to invest in characters trying to solve a problem. This is sometimes called “conflict”, but what does that mean, and how is it brought to life in a work of fiction? In this generative 3-hour class, we will discuss various kinds of “story-worthy” problems and we’ll practice techniques for discovering and creating truly vexing conflicts and situations that can carry a story’s plot from beginning to end.
Chaitali Sen is the author of the novel The Pathless Sky (Europa Editions, 2015) and short stories and essays which have appeared in Boulevard, Colorado Review, Ecotone, LitHub, Los Angeles Review of Books, New England Review, Shenandoah, and other publications. Her story collection A New Race of Men from Heaven was selected by Danielle Evans as the winner of the 2021 Mary McCarthy Prize for Short Fiction and is forthcoming from Sarabande Books in January 2023. The Pathless Sky was a finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Best First Fiction, and included on Idra Novey’s Buzzfeed list “10 Books That Challenge Our Political Landscape by Inventing New Ones,” Library Journal’s “Top Fall Indie Fiction,” and Mic.com’s “25 Essential Reads to Make Women’s History Last Longer than a Month.” She holds an MFA in Fiction from Hunter College and lives in Central Texas.
“Developing Authentic and Compelling Characters in Fiction” with John Pipkin
Saturday, April 1, 2023, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM CDT
Characters are the most important part of any story.
Creating fictional characters (or even characters based on real people) requires a balance between the unusual quirks that make a character compelling, and the realistic, ordinary details that make a character believable.
This class will examine strategies and writing exercises for developing your characters in a way that will keep readers engaged with your story. Sometimes, the most important aspects of a character are the things that happen off the page, the interests and impulses that that character would be pursuing if they didn’t have to be engaged in the plot that you’ve thrown them into. So, before you can get a reader to believe in and care about your characters, you need to get to know them yourself.
John Pipkin is the Director of the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program at the University of Texas-Austin and also teaches in the low-residency MFA Program at Spalding University. Originally from Baltimore, he holds a Ph.D. in 19th-century British Literature and is the author of the critically-acclaimed novels: Woodsburner (Nan A Talese/Doubleday 2009) which won the New York Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter (Bloomsbury 2016). He has received fellowships to MacDowell, Yaddo, Dobie-Paisano, and the Gullkistan Center for Creativity in Iceland. He is also the recipient of the 2021 Harry Ransom Award for Excellence in Teaching at UT-Austin.
“Closing the Circle: Writing Endings in Fiction” with Jessica Wilbanks
Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM CDT
The most satisfying endings in novels and stories simultaneously tie up loose ends while opening up a new layer of meaning. But how do writers deliver on these contradictory impulses?
In this class, we’ll take a close look at how different writers leverage images, patterns, and plot structure to arrive at an ending that simultaneously resolves and expands the narrative. We’ll also talk about expectations for endings across various genres, how to avoid overly contrived endings, and how the seeds of an effective ending are often found in the beginning of a narrative.
Jessica Wilbanks is the author of When I Spoke in Tongues, a memoir about faith and its loss. She has received a Pushcart Prize as well as creative nonfiction awards from Ninth Letter, Sycamore Review, Redivider, and Ruminate magazine. Her essays have received Notable Mentions in Best American Essays and Best American Nonrequired Reading, and she was selected as a finalist for the PEN annual Literary Award in Journalism. Jessica received her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Houston, where she served as nonfiction editor for Gulf Coast.
Instructors
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Diane Zinna is the author of the novel The All-Night Sun (Random House) and Letting Grief Speak: Writing Portals for Life After Loss, a forthcoming craft book on the art of telling our hardest stories. Since 2020, she has led a free Zoom class called Grief Writing Sundays. Meet her there or at www.dianezinna.com. -
Chaitali Sen is the author of the novel The Pathless Sky and the short story collection A New Race of Men from Heaven, winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. Her second novel, Girlhood, is forthcoming from Grove, Atlantic. Stories and essays have been published by Catapult, Colorado Review, Copper Nickel, Ecotone, LitHub, New England Review, Texas Observer, and other print and online journals. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Creative Writing and Literature at University of Houston, and a recipient of the Inprint J. A. and Isabel M. Elkins Foundation Fellowship. -
John Pipkin is the Director of the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program at the University of Texas-Austin and also teaches in the low-residency MFA Program at Spalding University. Originally from Baltimore, he holds a Ph.D. in 19th-century British Literature and is the author of the critically-acclaimed novels: Woodsburner (Nan A Talese/Doubleday 2009) which won the New York Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter (Bloomsbury 2016). He has received fellowships to MacDowell, Yaddo, Dobie-Paisano, and the Gullkistan Center for Creativity in Iceland. He is also the recipient of the 2021 Harry Ransom Award for Excellence in Teaching at UT-Austin. - Jessica Wilbanks is the author of When I Spoke in Tongues, a memoir about faith and its loss. She has received a Pushcart Prize as well as creative nonfiction awards from Ninth Letter, Sycamore Review, Redivider, and Ruminate magazine. Her essays have received Notable Mentions in Best American Essays and Best American Nonrequired Reading, and she was selected as a finalist for the PEN Annual Literary Award in Journalism. Jessica received her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Houston, where she served as nonfiction editor for Gulf Coast. She lives in Houston and is currently working on a novel.
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Class & Event Registration Policy
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Anti-Harassment Policy
The Writers’ League of Texas is dedicated to providing harassment-free spaces for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Violating these rules may result in expulsion from WLT programs without a refund at the discretion of the WLT staff.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Comments that reinforce social structures of domination (related to gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion);
- Sexual images not appropriate for the specific subject of the public discussion;
- Deliberate intimidation or stalking;
- Harassing photography or recording;
- Sustained disruption of discussions or other events;
- Unwelcome sexual attention;
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund. Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules during all events and event-related social activities.
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Reports can also be made via email at wlt@writersleague.org. We’ll handle any and all reports as respectfully as possible. You won’t be asked to confront anyone, and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Accessibility Policy
Closed captioning is available for all online classes and special events.
The WLT is committed to making its programs & services accessible to all writers. Please contact us at wlt@writersleague.org or at 512-499-8914 for more information or to discuss accommodations you may need.
Credit Card Transaction Handling Fee Policy
All credit card transactions will incur a 4% handling fee. If you’d prefer to pay by check for membership, a class, or an event, you can use the provided forms on the membership or event pages and mail to: WLT, P.O. Box 14355, Austin, TX, 78704.
Writers’ League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts – Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to www.arts.texas.gov.